City of ASHE
by FireVentus
Summary: People are an ingenious lot. Individually, we may be weak and dumb, but together, we can strive in the harshest of places. In strife, we find solace in the smallest of things and uplift them as gods. So tell me, oh sir wizard, have you heard of Walpugrisdorf? Where the soil is barren and the woods are evil? So tell me, oh ye of little faith, what do we appear as to you? Oc-centric.
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't quite clear when this world plunged headfirst into darkness. Perhaps it was a scant few millennia ago, maybe even just a few centuries. But it was just as likely that they lived alongside us since times primordial. Grimm, humanity's natural predator, tasked with the sole purpose of culling the intelligent race...no matter what. All were equal in the eyes of death, be they male or female, young or old...human or faunus.

Night by night, day by day, each was another carved by the lives of those that sacrificed all so that others may live. It was an evolutionary arms race between darkness and light, between creatures that go bump at night and the vanguards of lives.

It didn't always work.

At first, these rituals conceived were used as a respite, as a way of celebrating rather than losing to the despair of burying one's child; they grew all the stronger as these dark emotions festered after all. Over time, many faded into obscurity in lieu of scientific advancements...others evolved into something that barely resembled their former selves. But one remained constant, for this village at the very least: the coming of age ceremony.

The boy, soon to be a man, sat in front of a burning fire. Unseeing eyes gazed past the fire. He himself was covered in drying blood, his own, his party's, and the Grimm's dark ichor.

An older man tapped him on the shoulder, gesturing for him to come along. They joined the circle that surrounded a stone dial and the Grimm. The Grimm in question took the form of a wolf, a large, black, twisted facsimile. It was still much larger than usual, explaining the tragedy that befell the rest of his team...they never expected it.

A simple knife, forged from a sturdy bit of carved heartwood and sharpen beowolf fang was pressed into his hands before he was pushed towards the corpse.

Dagger in hand, the boy marched towards the body. The ritual had begun. But in truth, it had started long ago. His whole life so far had been leading towards this single momentous event. As the sole survivor, he must honor the lives of those he lost.

"Frejya...Moran...Keith...Mr. Oaksworth _...In your names, we hunt._ " He drew a deep breath, eyes unwavering from the massive corpse below him, "With this knife, I pledge upon the world to uphold my vows. These hands shall hold to protect this world. This body shall move to guard my kin. This heart shall grieve for those lost to this world." He straddled the still warm corpse. The fatal wound that which befell this monster remained; a spear to the throat - Freda's spear, which he collected from her unmoving hands. His eyes closed, "These time-honored traditions, for which we have bled and suffered. Oh great spirits, watch upon these lives. Impart your favour against the dark that smothers our light."

Something was wrong. This was where he was to stop and continue with the knife. When he heard gasps and murmuring around him, he found an extraordinary scene awaiting him. Surrounding him and the grimm was a ring of light, motes of which drifted up in a perfectly choreographed helix. Then, something whispered to him;

" _A troublesome blight invades tonight._

 _What for? What for? For whose delight?_

 _For its shadow to cast upon our light._

 _A ritual past, a ritual made._

 _These four lives you hath paid._

 _Their souls to rest you finally laid._

 _Bleed bloody, cast the first stone._

 _It is time for they to atone._

 _So then to you I shall grant this boon._

 _The first of fire, so you shall burn alight_

 _Funeral of a boy, let thy soul burn bright!"_

The motes settled on his skin, sinking deep into his body. It coursed throughout his body in no time at all, filling it with a comforting warmth. Then, finally, the dagger shot down, slicing through bone and sinew like a hot knife through butter. That analogy might be more apt than usual though; the dagger seemed to burn with a odd heat, the acrid scent of charring monster fur singing his nose.

The chest was carved open and within laid his prize; the twisted monster of an organ that which was its heart. The effigy of an organ was cut loose and brought high, black ichor draining down his arm. He was to pierce it on the dial, sacrificing it to a god that he now just heard.

But… there was an impulse. His arm twitched, drawing the tarry organ to his lips. Then, he ate it. The putrid flesh made him gag, the near toxic substance they called blood strangling his throat. But he persevered.

His fingertips tingled, his toes curled at the odd sensation. A second heat rushed into his organs, burning alongside the motes. Except this heat was far more feral, smiting his body rather than just igniting it.

There was another heart beating in his stomach. His head bowed as his body went into overdrive. The black Grimm blood covering him boiled then steamed, glowing a molten hot red that ran in rivets from his mouth. But he could't see that, nor did he feel it. Instead, he was preoccupied with the hearts that beat within him.

When the world erupted into orange and red, the wave of heat and light could be felt and seen for miles on end.

…

It was a bright and beautiful day at Beacon Academy for Hunters and Huntresses. Unfortunately, this beautiful day fell upon a school day, a Tuesday to be certain, and thus, the students within arose from their slumber slowly and languidly. Many stared at their pillow with forlorning.

Of course, those people were not a part of team RWBY. At seven-thirty sharp, Blake Belladonna bolted upright, scrambling to the bathroom with all the speed her lithe body contained. With a resounding bang, the doors slammed shut and scant few moments later, something collided with the door with another bang.

There was a bit of ruffling then furious knocking, "BLAKE! OPEN THE DOOR! LET ME GO FIRST!" Ruby cried from outside, sobbing her little heart out as her dreams of finally using the bathroom first in years literally went down the drain. She had even planned it! Yang wouldn't wake for another fifteen minutes, Weiss was perpetually kempt and well groomed, and Blake would be on the ceiling! But Blake was always the unexpectable kind. How was Ruby supposed to know that Blake actually stayed in bed?!

Finally, the door opened to a happy, humming Blake. She looked at the whimpering red bundle at her feet and made a little noise, "Oh, Ruby. I didn't see you there. I'm finished with the bathroom if you want it."

Ruby sniffed, "Yes ple-WHOA!"

Enter zombie Yang. Not exactly a morning person. Without using even an iota of her semblance, the rudely awakened girl pushed past both her sister and the faunus into the bathroom. It shut with yet another bang as Yang performed her morning ritual, leaving behind the two stunned girls.

Ruby looked to Blake from the floor. The darkly dressed girl merely gave a wry smile and a shrug to which Ruby groaned in response, collapsing to the ground.

…

In spite of the morning fiesco, this Tuesday morning continued to burn strong. Team RWBY, joined by their friends of team JNPR, marched towards the main hall in search of breakfast. Nora in particular was excited to indulge in a million pancakes.

"I don't think the cooks will have that many pancakes ready, Nora." Ren said, ever the sensible companion.

"Nonsense! I will have a million pancakes! Then I'll make a castle! I will be the queen of Castle Pancakes! Then I will eat it all down! Wahahahahah!"

Ren could only sigh at the exuberant look on the slightly crazed girl's face.

"Hey guys, whats happening over there?"

The group of eight looked towards where Jaune pointed. Coming in from the main entrance, a group of four teens that no one present had ever remembered seeing made their way through the daily crowds. Their posture and aura of mystery caught attention. As one person slowed to see the team better, more joined in the growing number of curious teenagers.

Up in front, the leader presumably, the sole men of the group. His outfit was extraordinary. A dark black shroud clung to his neck, billowing behind him like miasma. His shoulders and upper arm were adorned with a grotesque plate made from the masks of slain grimms, the largest of which - a beowolf alpha mask and a Ursa major mask - covered his shoulders as pauldrons. Beneath, a red fabric stretched across his arms, ending at his wrists. His leg armour was equally gruesome. Numerous fragments of grimm masks were seemingly sewn together, making up the bulk of his legging. The same red fabric that was on his arm was also visible, albeit sewn together with patches of black cloth. His boot was the most normal of which; a simple brown steel-toed boot. The personalized pattern that was his symbol was hand-carved deep into his shoulder guard; to continue the grimm motif, the mask of an unidentifiable grimm burned in red ethereal flames. Somehow, the outfit was as slim as it was terrifying.

But his hands were exposed, unlike the rest of his body. No harsh, claw-like gauntlet existed to complete the set. Instead, his bare hands clenched a wooden staff that towered over him by a head. The head of the staff was carved intricately to resemble the face of a dragon. The visor of a nevermore completed the menacing look of the staff. The man - boy? He definitely could not be any older than Yang. But Ruby saw a wariness in his face, the same as could be seen in any of the adults, of any of the teachers in Beacon.

He kept his face carefully neutral, dark brown eyes scanning the crowd around him.

The woman to his right walked with absolute confidence. Her youthful face was curtained with aged grey hair and eyes, whether from stress or genetics it wasn't clear. Unlike the man, she was almost covered in solid black leather devoid of red patterns. Tough leather vambraces covered her forearms, complete with similar mask fragments sewed on for protection. A cage of carved bone surrounded her chest and abdomen, the ordinarily ivory material a burnt black. Her symbol stood out from a starkly white patch, carved into the second last rib on her left. The depiction of a ghastly body wreathed in eldritch smoke rising from the ashes. Misshapen claws and horns, one of which was broken, jutted out with malice.

Her weapon, a solidly-crafted silver lance, had a head that was expertly crafted into an uncanny visage of a snarling beast. With such as massive visage, it was certain that the entire weapon was tremendously heavy It rested strapped to the girl's back, but something about the grey-haired girl's posture showed that she was far from defenceless, even if her weapon of choice was missing.

Immediately behind her, the only grinning member of the team, a dark blond girl. To be sure, the first thing Ruby and the rest of her friends did when they saw her was to look at Yang. There was an uncanny resemblance between the two girls. However, Yang-2, as now dubbed by Ruby, while being the brightest of the group of four, had a more earthly palette than the real Yang. She was also a head shorter than her friends. She wore a half mask, made out of wood. The top half was dotted with gleaming jewels and pieces of bone and mask, the bottom covered the left side of her face, and a gap revealed a dissonance in the colours of her eyes; the right a normal warm honey, the left, a pale, bloodshot blue. It didn't move with her other eye, unwaveringly focused forward. In the very center of the mask was her personalized symbol, an image of two colossal fists smashing together, the pressure shattering the earth beneath.

She carried her weapons in her hands, or rather, she wore them. Oversized gauntlets crafted from the same wood the rest of the team encircled her entire arm starting from the elbow. Thick, wooden fingers lax by her sides, plated by again the masks of grims.

When her right arm began to shake almost violently, the group stopped and quickly circled the blond, who was using her left to restrain the unruly appendage. The last of the quartet carefully approached, cupping the wooden portion of the blond's arm with practiced ease. A vibrant green aura eased its way into the wood, banishing the tremors.

The dark blond nodded her thanks to her healer, who gently smiled back. Her faunus heritage was obscure but present for anyone that looked. Her eyes resembled that of reptiles, golden irises surrounding narrow slits. Mild, scalelike patterns shimmered around her eyes and hands, and black hair framed the sharp eyes neatly. What excess was tied into a long ponytail. It was unclear whether she had a tail.

She was the least armoured of her team, the lack of grimm masks was evident on her dark viridian green clothes, but she carried numerous bags and pouches filled to the brim with herbs, dust, arrows, and other odds and ends. Her bow, made from wood through and through, was tangled around her right arm with one part of the bow staff encircling her wrist. Her symbol was on her belt buckle, slightly off-center to the right. Two swirling centers of white and black, commonly known as a taijitu. What was suppose to be orbs of white and black in the center of each half was replaced with something more reminiscent of fangs, one ebony black and the other ivory white.

Ruby caught his eyes. Brown gazed into silver. Silver stared back at brown, wide. His pace quickened as his meandering march became a beeline for Ruby. To the short girl, he seemed to tower her, staring down with a dark visage.

"...Silver eyes." He murmured, voice soft despite his image, "What great thing will you accomplish I wonder."

"Wha-"

 _Fwap!_

The solid sound of newspaper on skull echoed through the grounds, silencing any conversation that may have been on going. Everyone stared at the grey-haired girl holding the wad of paper on her shoulder.

"Honestly, can't you be normal for once?" The girl grumbled.

The man - boy now? He seemed to bodily relax all of a sudden, what stress aging his expression melting away as he turned tear-filled eyes to his partner.

"Ashe, that hurts." He even sniffled to prove his point.

Ashe rolled her eyes, "Yea, yea. Go talk to Elm if you really need help. But aren't you forgetting something?"

He turned back to Ruby. His head tilted wolfishly as a grin brightened his face, "Ah! Where are my manners. I am so sorry for my behaviour, miss. I guess I got a bit nervous from all the people around."

"Oh! No, no, no, it's fine!" Ruby shook her head and hands, "Um...are you lost?"

He looked to his team, who shrugged in response, "It would appear to the case. Would it be alright if we impose upon you for a few minutes?"

"Oh! Uh...I guess that'll be fine." Ruby nodded in an attempt to be cheerful.

"Would you mind taking us to Ozpin?"

…

"Miss Rose. What brings you and your team here?" Ozpin gazed at her over his cup of tea.

"Ah, uh, there are some people that wanted to see you." Ruby opened the door to Ozpin's office wider, allowing the newcomers to enter.

Ozpin regarded the four strangers with a critical eye.

The boy in masks made his way to Ozpin, hands by his sides and legs at shoulder-width. They silently evaluated one another. Moments passed before the boy nodded.

"Team RWBY, you may leave now. You'll miss breakfast if you don't hurry." Ozpin's eyes broke contact to meet Ruby's.

"Ah, uh. OK...bye?"

When the headmaster made sure the curious team had indeed left for breakfast, he turned back to the team before him.

"Tell me, what do you expect to find in Beacon?"

The boy grinned, sharp canines on display, "Sovereignty."

…

"Whaddya suppose that was?" Yang's voice came muffled, unclear to Ruby, much too distracted by the appearance of Ashe and all her friends.

"I don't trust them." Ruby could hear the glare and arm cross from Weiss, "I swear, they're like savages, wearing Grimm masks like that."

"I doubt they are affiliated with the White Fang." Blake said reasonably but a small frown marred her face.

"What do you think, sis?"

"Hmm? Oh! Uh...they are...kinda weird?"

"See! Even Ruby thinks they are weird!"

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

Their breakfast went quickly. Even then, they had to hurry to their first class. Even if it was Professor Oobleck's class, being late was not exactly a good way to demonstrate you were a responsible huntsmen or huntress.

World history picked off where they last left off on Faunus and the uprising. Following that, was the events of the Great War.

"As you undoubtedly know, the kingdoms of Vale, Vacuo, Atlas - formerly known as Mantle -, and Mistral were consumed by conflict. Humans against humans, faunus against faunus, dust against dust. But it was more than a simple conflict. Resources scarce, the populace tormented by grimm and assailants alike, it was as much about the true nature of the common people as it was the soldiers, the warriors, the government."

Uncharacteristically, the usually hyperactive teacher merely took a sip of his coffee and folded his hands calmly, "Hunters and huntresses were scarce, or rather, nonexistent as true profession. The grimm population was policed by soldiers and vigilantes. But it wasn't enough. As dust grew scarce, as land grew poor, as grimm grew in numbers, tension spilt over. You must realize this was long before even the beginning of the Faunus Uprising, technology was limited compared to even modern trinkets." His eyes narrowed in on Jaune, "Mr. Arc, your weapon, Crocea Mors, is one such example. It was your great-great-grandfather's right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hmm, for a weapon created back then, it is actually quite advanced. While most weapons from hence held springlock features, to switch forms, abilities, and size, the fact remains that Crocea Mors was - and still is - special, a work of art. After all, despite its many years of service, the blade is still impeccable." The green haired professor pushed his rogue glasses back into place, "You are keeping well care of it. Keep it up."

"A- Thank you sir!"

"There used to be more. More kingdoms." Energized once more, the practically vibrating teacher dashed between seats, desks, and people as he continued his lecture, "But some sought to trample others during the conflict. Their arrogance was their downfall as the four kingdoms we now know of today joined in an alliance in repelling those that would deny the population of their rights." Professor Oobleck took a sip of his coffee, "And that'll be it for now; the bell will ring momentarily. I would like to ask all of you to read of the events in your textbooks, starting from page 256…"

…

He was being stared at. Well, he supposed it was definitely going to happen; no matter where they went and what they did, they just naturally attracted attention... _especially him._ Not always the good kind much to his dear partner Ashe's displeasure.

...He'd have to make it up to her, lest he spend the night outside their newly acquired dorm.

He decided to roam around by himself, dismissing his friends and telling them that he'll come later. Languid and lazy in body language and expression alike, Hono trudged on with a wide yawn. But it would be a mistake to believe he was unaware. Which was why he was able to catch himself, as well as the red and black bundle, when he was slammed into by said object. That something was one Ruby Rose, with her friends and teammates struggling to keep up with her.

When the other three students finally reached him, they were out of breath, exhausted, and frazzled by the situation at hand.

Yang tried to make a joke, but choked on her tongue instead when her body decided that it wanted to keep the air _inside_ her lungs. Blake stared balefully, looking in effect all the part of a particularly irate and huffy feline. Weiss recovered smoothly, taking in a deep breath before addressing him, ignoring the step back he took.

"Excuse me, but we would like to apologize for our team leader's irresponsible behaviour. We would also like to ask you to give her back to us, if it isn't too much of a bother.

"Hey, why aren't you ever that nice to me?" Ruby asked from her rather comfortable seat in his arms. He gave the girl a wry smile. Certainly fearless Little Red Riding Hood was.

"Shush, I am trying to negotiate you back!"

"I am not some _thing_ you can just negotiate for!" Ruby complained.

"Quite so, I believe." He said before abruptly walking away, Ruby still in hand.

"...Uh, where are you taking her?"

Addressing the blond that just spoke without even turning, he said, "I am taking her to her next class."

"And do you even know what her next class is, Mr…"

"Hono Akinatsu."

"Hono."

"No, not really."

"My next class is combat with Glynda!"

"Ruby! Shut up!"

"But it's comfy here!"

"Don't you think you are being a bit rude to the person _you barreled into?_ "

"Well _he_ offered to carry me!"

"Well, I didn't as much offer as just decided to do so."

"Do you even know where Glynda's class is?"

"Not really, but I have to get there too. Ashe's gonna kill me if I'm late."

"Then you better start writing your will because class starts in...five minutes."

The quintet froze for a minute, stopping in the middle of the hallway entirely much to the disgruntlement of equally screwed students dashing for their class. Pale and nerve-racked, Hono had to take a deep breath before beginning the solemn process of attempting to beat death. He shifted the girl in his arms into a more comfortable position and bent his knees. Ruby gave him a quizzical look. He simply grimaced.

"Hold on tight, I'm making a run for it."

"Don't worry! My semblance is speed; I'm fine with hooooooooOOOO AAAAAHHH!" Hono barreled down the hallways like a runaway missile, his speed effortlessly matching that of Ruby's semblance. Ruby's screams of terror - or was that delight rather, it's hard to tell with the redhead, considering the fact she enjoyed going fast - trailed behind her with the rest of team RWBY, yet again, having the unfortunate job of trying and failing to catch up to their dust.

For someone who said they didn't know where they were going, Hono made what was essentially a beeline for the class. Unfortunately for everyone involved, they were still five minutes late. For Ruby and her team, this usually meant a rough scolding by the resident good witch. For Hono, it meant capital punishment.

As the soon to be deceased leaped into the double doors, slamming both of them open with a resounding _'Bang!'_ , he was caught unaware by the irate grey-haired girl before him.

In hindsight, it should have been obvious Ashe would be waiting for him. But that kind of thinking was far too late.

A single unyielding arm rose, the muscles coiled like steel cords and fingers clenched into a fist, then slammed into his neck, t-boning him. Thanks to his momentum, the hunter trainee actually spun once around - sending Ruby flying into the ever-loving embrace of Nurse Elm - before slamming into the ground, dazed.

He peered unseeingly at the gently smiling devil above and wished he were dead. "..." Oh right, he couldn't speak without any air.

"What's wrong, Hono dearest? Feeling a bit down?" Correction, the _demon lord_ demanded his attention, "You know class started five minutes ago right?"

Fight or flight kicked in and the poor boy picked life. Using the last bit of his strength, Hono scrambled up to all fours and tried to crawl away.

It didn't work, as one might expect. The demon lord he tried to escape didn't so much as move as just plant a firm feet on his back. Hono froze. The class just watched.

And so, that was when the rest of team RWBY decided to join in. The three girls blinked. Hono blinked, the rest of the class blinked, save for Ashe, who smirked viciously, Elm who cooed serenely at the red girl in her grasp, and Synca, who has her face covered entirely by her oversized hands.

"Ah...well, this is kinky." That was Yang, "This is why we should come earlier."

…

A few more minutes of general scuffling - and Ms. Goodwitch chewing the five unfortunately late students apart - the show continued. Team RWBY joined the rest of the student body sitting in the bleachers, with team ASHE, as Hono's team was now dubbed, to their left and team JNPR on their right. Well, team JNR, as Pyrrha was currently facing (read: destroying) team CRDL.

The four-time consecutive winner of the Minstral Regional Tournament was more than a match for the four musclehead bullies. To be fair, each of her opponents were individually powerful and cunning, albeit in a somewhat distasteful way, and together CRDL is a formidable team that can equally trample as they would trip another. But Pyrrha was much, _much_ more skilled; winning a tournament of any kind demands equal parts luck as well as skill.

Her xiphos clashed heavily against Dove's gunsword while her shield kept Russel's daggers busy. In a state of total defense, it would seem Pyrrha was being pushed back. But that was not the case. Even against two enemies, the redhead was able to push back. The three danced in a choreographed dance of deadly blades and guns flashing and sparks jumped and metal clashed.

Then Cardin leaped into the fray. It was truly a statement of skill to watch the three bullies fight with remarkable teamwork; there was no denying their place in Beacon academy. However, _it still wasn't enough to beat Pyrrha._

Soon enough, Cardin, Dove, and Russel found themselves on the defensive again as Pyrrha found a rhythm against the three teens, using her superior maneuverability against them. And this was when CRDL made their fatal mistake: Cardin got mad.

Letting his emotions get what better was left of him, Cardin took a hard swing to Pyrrha. His punishment was swift as it was harsh as the resulting clash sent him staggering backwards, unable to aid his allies. Russel tried to remedy this by fending off Pyrrha as Cardin tried to recover but found himself firmly planted into the stage a few moments later. A shrill beep announced his depletion of aura and the mohawk-wearing teen decided it would be best to just lie there.

And everything just went downhill for CRDL -oops, CDL- after that. Revived and even angrier, Cardin's attacks became haphazard, unaware of allies as his vision turned a livid red. Dove suffered the brunt of his anger as an errant strike sending flying out of bounds. Cardin's last-ditch effort in defeating Pyrrha went about as well as any other, only this time Pyrrha decided to end everything.

The redhead charged in, shield bashing into Cardin as she used her momentum and strength to physically throw her last remaining opponent into the air before following his arc. There, the agile girl cleverly used her semblance to manipulate her motion, as she delivered a flurry of strikes up and down and all around before cleaning up by throwing her enemy into the stage, landing on him hard for good measure.

Aura depleted and generally battered, the dazed boy muttered, "Lucky shot." and decidedly laid there, unmoving and groaning.

There really wasn't much to say about Sky Lark, the other member of CRDL. Face down, ass up, he was the first to be knocked out in the fight, being basically less than useless.

Pyrrha stood there in an aggressive position for a few more heartbeats, eyes scanning with practiced ease before settling and sheathing her weapons.

"And that's the match."

The crowd went wild.

…

"Alright, settle down." Glynda Goodwitch tapped at her scroll, the holographic display beeping its compliance, "I know that is a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match." The professor regarded the crowd of kids with a sharp eye, falling on one Blake Belladonna, "Ms. Belladonna, you have been rather docile as of late, how about you parti-"

"I'll do it." A silver-grey haired boy lazily announced, the colour befitting his name; Mercury Black.

The teacher frowned at the interruption, but acquiesced to the teen before her, "Mercury is it? Very well, I shall find you a suitable opponent."

"Actually, I would like to fight…" Mercury made fleeting glances across the stage, as if to find his target, "...her."

"Me?" Pyrrha asked, unsure.

"I'm afraid that Ms. Nikos has already completed a match today. I suggest you find a different partner."

"Oh, no, no, no. It's fi-" Was as far as Pyrrha got before another lazy voice interrupted.

"Hey, can I sub in then?"

Mercury frowned, shooting the lazing boy taking up three seats -head in Ashe's lap, feet draped across Synca- a nearly angry look before said look became one of unrestrained jealousy when he realized neither of the two girls minded his position. In fact, it looked as if Ashe was calmly stroking his hair with a blush on her face.

"...Well aren't you just the natural primmadonna."

Hono gashed his teeth in a wide grin, "Jealousy doesn't befit you, _boy._ "

"You are hardly older than me."

"Hono Akinatsu, please sit up." Glynda sighed as mask clad teen merely waved a dismissive hand, "Mr. Black, would you accept this challenge?"

Mercury put his chin in his hands, giving his partner, Emerald, a glance. She simply shrugged, 'It's your choice.'

"Alright, I'll bite."

Mercury strolled up the stage, calm, collected, and cool as a cucumber. On the other hand, the boy in grimm's skin limbered like a wet noodle, yawning and stretching all the while. They took their stances, Mercury settling into a walking stance with his guard up, Hono shoved his hands in his pockets, grinning wolfishly at his opponent.

There was no voice announcing the start of their match, no sound or gesture, but the two simultaneously leaped into action. In Mercury's case, it was quite literal. He opened up the fight with a barrage of kicks, forcing Hono to block each with his arm guard. The bony material and the certainly metal boot underneath bashed together with dull cracks. The heavy hit made Hono frown while Mercury followed up with a front snap kick. Hono dodged back, narrowly missing damage to his chin. Seeing his initial assault had failed, Mercury somersaulted backwards, giving Hono a wry yet begrudgingly approving look.

"Hey! Your friend's pretty good!" Ruby told Emerald. Emerald smiled slightly before rolling her eyes when she realized Ruby wasn't looking at her.

"Guess I should get serious too then." The raven-haired boy held a hand out, something black and oily oozing from the tips. His eyes blazed a monstrous red, " _Come and feast, Lunacy."_

The pool boiled over as the draconic staff seen this morning erupted, splattering steaming black oil over the stage. The visage seemed to snarl at Mercury. For a brief second, Mercury found fear settle deep into his heart as he stared into the animalistic red of Hono's eyes before they receded to a dark brown with a blink.

He found himself blinking as well. Then a grin he didn't feel settled, "Well, this is interesting."

Down stage, where the rest of team ASHE sat, Ashe muttered evil incomprehensible things in a low, low voice.

"...I'm gonna skin myself a beowolf today. I'm gonna use the pelt as a rug and set it on fire." Her eyes narrowed, "...No, he would like that. I'll put it on spin cycle then deep freeze it..."

That was about as much of her curses one can ever hope to understand - one should ever understand lest they perish to the curses themselves.

Beside her, Ruby was screaming her glee to anyone willing to listen, notably Elm , Synca, and Yang, "Whoa! What. Is. THAT?! THAT IS SO COOL! DID YOU SEE THAT YANG?! THAT STAFF JUST WENT _blurb, blurb, blurb_ THEN POPPED OUT OF NOWHERE!"

Synca chuckled lowly, Elm nodded, "I agree, she really is cute."

With the staff in hand, Hono dashed towards Mercury, using the dragon head as a cudgel. Mercury countered with a kick of his own then another as a follow-up only to be deflected by the rear, bladed part of the staff. Hono shifted his grip to inflict a overhead smash which only amounted to the stage breaking rather than making contact with Mercury. So with one hand, he flung the staff at the evasive troublemaker, the bladed end first. What should have been a poor attack attempt became a flying javelin of doom as the former staff flew with inerrant accuracy.

Eyes wide, Mercury narrowly avoided being run through (to be perfectly honest, he would have been fine, if a bit sore thanks to his aura) by leaping away with a little help from the gun built into his boots.

Now missing his weapon, Hono was back on the defensive, shielding against kick after kick after kick using naught but his own two arms and what little plating on them. Then he was tripped. Flat on the ground, Hono frantically dodged against the stomps by swinging his head and body to and fro. Every time he tried to get back onto his feet, Hono found himself forced to slam back onto the ground to avoid some brutal kick or shot or another.

It was all rather inconvenient, a disadvantage for sure but Mercury could not help but to grind his teeth as a smile found its way onto the face of the boy below him. And when that smile became a full on toothy grin, even Emerald had to leap to her feet with shock to yell at her partner.

"Mercury! Back off!"

But it was too late. Everywhere Mercury could turn to was blanketed with glyphs after glyphs after runes. It was similar to Weiss's own glyphs in the sense that a handgun and a rifle are the same. Sure, you can argue their similarities, but there is something fundamentally different in the way in which they perform their intended tasks.

But one similarity they share is the fact that, if in the right -or wrong, truth be told- hands, both are amazingly deadly.

Mercury hesitated. Seeing the sea of glowing red, he could not help but to falter and stare in awe, if only for a fraction of a second. But it was enough. Their roles reversed with low sweep and the head of the staff pinned him in place.

 _Wait, wasn't the staff stuck in the wall?_ Mercury thought before everything went orange. There was a brief moment of heat and whiteness then darkness as everything slowly came back into focused of his overloaded senses.

"The match is complete. The victor is mister Hono Akinatsu." Ms. Goodwitch matched onto the stage with small smile, "Both of you performed remarkably. You should be proud of yourselves."

"Right." Mercury scowled at himself, _Got a bit too serious there. I hope Cinder doesn't get too angry at me. Hmm…hmm?_ The grey-haired boy blinked then gave a deep seated sigh of suffering, "I can't stand."

Ashe, who had came downstage to both congratulate and reprimand Hono gave the raven haired boy a dry glare. He shrugged with one eye closed, his fingers pointing upwards and his tongue sticking out in a cutesy way. His partner didn't buy it.

"Hono."

"Ahahahahaha...I... _might_ have melted parts of his prosthetics."

"...You have got to be kidding me." Ashe whirled around and shouted, "Elm! We need your help!"

"Coming!" team ASHE's very own nurse leaped towards them with Synca trailing closely behind her, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Him." Ashe jabbed a thumb towards Mercury, "Hono melted his feet, be a dear and fix them. I rather not owe people anything."

"Oh my." Elm kneeled, rolling up Mercury's pants, revealing the charred and melted prosthetics underneath, "Oh, Hono. You know you shouldn't use _Pandora's Box_ when you are both low on aura. I'm honestly surprised you didn't turn to ash." Mercury gulped at the mild observation. Holding the damaged limb in one hand, a soft green glow washed over Mercury. The source being Elm's palms, "Hmm. I'm not good with metal, to be honest. But this should hold for now. Not my best work, I have to admit."

Mercury stood. It was shaky at first and on his first step, he almost dove into the ground. But a few more cursory attempts banished any hesitation. It was fixed! It really was!

The martial artist turned. A criminal (in hiding) as he was, the many years of training held continuous effect on him as he bowed deeply towards Elm before walking away without so much as a by your leave. Emerald followed closely behind, waving cheerfully before retreating to Mercury's side.

"Right. Classes are over. How's about we get back to our dorms." Hono's voice lowered, "I want to rest up before our Hunt."

His lovely three partners nodded, Ashe with a smirk, Elm with a serene -if not slightly bloodthirsty- smile, and Synca with broad grin.

"Right, let's get going." He waved to team RWBY, "Bye Ruby!"

"Goodbye! See you next time!"

...

"So. Pyrrha Nikos." Emerald hesitated slightly, frowning at the lazing boy beside her.

"Ah, yes, the invincible girl." A husky voice drawled. The woman in uniform played with her hair, looking in all parts, a student. A student who seemed to ooze sensuality and confidence, evidenced by that smirk and posture which she sat on the bed.

"...She's smart. And strong." Mercury stated, setting his magazine down, "But I never saw her use her semblance."

"And why not?" Asked Cinder mildly.

"Because someone else caught my eye instead." Mercury sat up, "Have you ever heard of Hono Akinatsu?"

Something changed. The constant heat that Cinder extruded sputtered and died before turning a freezing cold then roaring back to life, twice as oppressive as before. Cinder's eyes narrowed and hands stopped playing with her hair in favour of straightening her clothes. It was nothing that Mercury and Emerald had seen from their boss before. Ever.

"...Put him on the list."

"What?" Emerald recoiled at the deadly look that came her way.

"Did I stutter?" It was rhetorical and even Mercury wasn't suicidal enough to quip right now.

A few taps later, a cowed Emerald looked hesitantly at Cinder, "Uh, right. He's on the list."

Cinder nodded, taking her time to sit up straight with her hands neatly in lap. She made a sweeping gesture to Emerald, "Well? Tell me about him."

Emerald and Mercury shared a look before nodding simultaneously, "R-rright. Uh…he is an enigma, not just him, but the entirety of team ASHE."

Mercury took the scroll from Emerald, ignoring her complaints, "They just got here and enrolled today, seems like they'll be a permanent part of Beacon. Something about him sets me off."

"He means Hono felt like a grimm. Looked like one even with the way he and his teammates dress." At this, Cinder's eyes narrowed even more. Mercury grimaced and Emerald blanched even more, "He is dangerous. And beyond that it has something to do with fire and runes, I can't get a good tell on his semblance." Emerald said, amid her attempts to take back her handheld.

"There was runes everywhere. It even melted my boots!"

"You seem to be doing quite well for someone without use of their legs." Cinder remarked, eyes flickering to his feet for a brief moment.

"One of his teammates repaired it." Mercury admitted, "She said it was shoddy work, but it's the best repair anyone has ever done in a long while."

"Truly?"

Mercury became animated as he began to retell his fight, "I had an advantage over him in speed. So he was on defence for the batter part of the match, particularly after he threw his weapon at me. I thought I had him, but...he just kept...smiling. Creepiest thing ever I'd say."

"Then he got blown up." Emerald successfully reclaimed her scroll and quickly played the video of the fight she recorded, "He was pretending to be struggling." The tanned criminal flipped the scroll to show the video's "He was placing those runes every time he 'fell'. He played you right into a trap."

"So we now have several more unknowns of uncertain strengths." Cinder sighed, her confident slipping the tiniest of bits, "I must admit this is not...ideal."

The woman stood, walking to the door with a sway in her hips.

"Put them all on the list...the time is coming and we can't have _anyone_ opposing us." Cinder opened the door, "Do not follow me."

The door closed with a inaudible click.

... 

* * *

HELLO EVERYBODY! ARE YOU EXCITED TO SEE YOUR FAVORITE FANFICTION WRITER ONCE MORE?! 

*Dodged rotten tomatoes*

HA! Missed- *smacked by rotten corn*

...Ow.

Well, I probably deserved that.

Welp. Let me just say that I am a garbage writer at best...and inspiration strikes at the more inopportune of places.

Say at my part-time. While I'm getting an order. And you know, generally can't use a phone.

But that's beside the point.

So yea, RWBY, it's a great big thing now if you haven't realized. Also, this is an oc-centric story...which is probably going to generate less than preferred response but *shrugs* I have a team, and I'll stick by them. Of course, I won't ignore the actual characters of RWBY...that would be suicidal of me and I rather stay alive.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this first installment of City of ASHE! I'll be back more pronto and hopefully I can keep a decent schedule of writing more chapters.

I bid you-

Hono: Hey, give us a few last words.

Uh...

Synca nods frantically, making complicated gestures that no one quite understood with her hands.

Elm: I agree with Synca. Wouldn't you be a dear and allow your poor characters a few parting words?

Hey now, hey now. I gave you all the words in the world before this.

Ashe: But that's different. Now we can finally relax a bit, knowing that the AN zone is generally free of strife.

So...then say something.

Hono: Ah, yes. This would be perfect. It also helps you, mister author.

Wha-

Ashe: Favorite us if you haven't! Follow us if you haven't!

Elm: And don't forget to give a comment-cum-review!

Hono: With that! We say farewell! We shall adjourn...er...next time!

...


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of RWBY or Roosterteeth or any of its constituent parts. If I did...I'd probably still do this, but I'd probably flaunt it a bit more. And I'd be richer for sure.

There was something in the air. Something dark...something... _strong._ The pack of beowolves glanced around the dark, midnight forest with cautionary eyes, survival instincts strong and ready.

There was certainly...something…

" _Behind you~"_ A branch snapped, the beowolves immediately snapped into attention, growling and charging at the small form talking in a sing-song way. Their claws glistened under beams of moonlight as they descended to strike flesh. But as they were about to sink into the soft, pliable flesh of the girl before them, the vanguard found their bodies pierced with a hundred arrows.

To be honest, the arrows did nothing. Sure, they pierced the skin, but, flesh wounds rarely mattered to Grimms. However, something about these wounds made the beowolves pause. Putrid smoke began to seep from the wounds and soon enough, the distressed howls of dying Grimms filled the air as they collapsed into pained heaps of 'flesh'.

With the first half dead, she raised her bow entwined arm to the skies and whispered, " _In your name, we hunt._ "

With those word, some dynamic between Grimm and hunters changed. The beowolves, young as they are, began to feel something foreign; _fear_. And to these unfeeling monsters it was...uncomfortable, _unnatural_. What was to be prey was in fact their predator.

The solitary figure doubled then doubled again, until four such creatures took their stance before the pack of beowolves. The two teams waited. And waited. And waited. And waited in a stalemate until the smallest beowolf of the pack lost its nerves and howled, calling for support from any that would listen.

The team of four sprang into action, blades, lance, and arrows shone from the shattered moon as they duked it out with the countless number of Grimm drawn by the call to arms.

A figure dashed to the forefront, meeting the second wave with the head of his staff. Each of his swipes brained at least five Grimms from its size and momentum alone. But numerous as they are, these Grimm are young; their lack of coordination and strategy beyond swarming tactics made them predictable.

And the predictable fell into traps. Fiery red sigils erupted under their feet, blasting chunks equally into Grimm and terrain alike. Many simply disintegrated under the assault. The stragglers suffered similar fates as the maw of the staff opened, delivering gouts of purifying flames, leaving a few scant pools of darkness and the pungent smell of burnt flesh.

As he stood guard with the flames blazing, his grinning blond ally leaped from behind him into the crowd of Grimm just beyond his flames. Her hands clasped together midflight and as she fell, slammed into the ground. The Grimms that blocked her descent had a quick and painless death. The rest...not so lucky. First was the shrapnels, dangerously jagged and sharp pieces of rock and dirt clods flew in every which way, lashing out at the Grimm close enough to her landing spot. Immediately following that, an ever expanding shockwave blasted into the masked creatures, tossing them like ragdolls. And as it that wasn't enough, the earth warped and quakes and opened its deadly maw, swallowing tens of Grimms alive. Those that survived were staggered, ready for the last member to deliver her blow.

A gleaming lance flashed once, twice, then a million mirage of the same weapon crashed into the horde, decimating it in a flash. The figure dropped heavily to the grassy plains, her lance now replaced with a immense crossbow

What remained froze, then turned and ran. It seemed that even they knew when a fight is not worth having.

"Aw, really? Not even enough to get me worked up." Elm sighed, her bow twisting back onto her wrist. It was the least decked out she have been seen so far, carry only a -relatively- small first aid satchel and a leather bag interwoven with dust. The latter of which she fumbled through with sharp, glass-on-glass clicks as the dirty blond searched for a vial of something she likes.

"I'd say you're plenty worked up." Synca nodded at Ashe's words, pointing emphatically to her good eye.

Elm blinked before rubbing away at the solid crimson eyes with her free hand, the one now carrying a tube of a flat green liquid, "Is it gone?"

Her matronly smile reclaimed its rightful spot as she watched Synca nod up and down with that bright smile of her own. Synca then raised her arms, looking at Elm expectantly. The medic could only widen her smile as she pulled the half wooden girl into reverse hug, arms draped over the shorter girl's shoulders with her chin planted on head and the drink in mouth.

"Ah, Synca...you are the perfect height for this." Elm snuggled into the surprisingly soft body of one Synca Geppetta.

"Alright. We're done for the night. Go see if there is anything you like here and I'll take care of the rest." Hono shrugged and shook his head in a fashion greatly resembling a wolf.

With wild and messy hair - courtesy of Elm rubbing her face in Synca's hair-, Synca saluted with a wide grin and dashed off, dragging Elm with her. Ashe followed Hono, who dropped to one knee to dip his fingers into one of the countless pools of dark ichor.

"Too thin…." Hono muttered, "I don't think any of the Grimms were over a year old."

"Likely from the proximity to Beacon; they wouldn't have a chance to grow." Ashe stood watch, eyes scanning the field, "As well, anything older wouldn't have cared for the alarm. They are egotistic like that."

"Hmm." Hono patted his staff, "Sorry Lunatic, guess you won't be getting anything tonight."

"...Are you alright?" Hono gave Ashe a quizzical look, "You have been...a bit off today."

The Grimm attired teen looked off to the side, "I was thinking about Ozpin's words."

Ozpin. That man...he had made a great impression upon Hono. A characteristic leader with a firm head on his shoulders. His eyes were shaded by choices that will forever haunt them. But they were firm, unwavering. The man will never betray those he considered his own. While sacrifices are necessary, he would do all there was in his power to minimize it where possible.

He was the game master. His pieces are his hunters and huntresses. But he would be damned if he doesn't do all that he can for them.

It was certainly something that Hono can respect. So, despite their differences, they came to respect one another.

Ashe narrowed her eyes, "Damn him and his words. He doesn't know what we went through to get this far."

"Yes, but, what he said is true nevertheless." Hono stared at his black tainted hands, "Who are we if in our path toward salvation, we become that which we most despise?"

"We will be ourselves." Ashe gripped Hono's hand tightly, "And to ourselves we will be true."

"...I hope you are right."

…

Ruby _finally_ escaped. Between Weiss's complaints and Yang's over enthusiasm and, you know, Blake's general nonexistence for the moment, the pint sized reaper felt as if she would simply just turn to ash and blow away in the wind.

But she did it.

After almost an hour's worth of effort, Ruby Rose finally escaped the clutches of freezerburn -them leaving _her_ behind notwithstanding.

But now she has about half a Saturday to bust. And it was moments like these that Ruby was fully able to appreciate her social awkwardness. That is to say; she had just about no friends beyond team RWBY and JNPR.

Maybe she could go find Velvet? But she's a second year and probably off on a mission or something.

...Perhaps Pyrrha? Well, that would certainly be a great idea but some mysterious force was adamantly telling her it was actually currently the _worst idea_...for now.

Several blocks away in JNPR's dorm room, Pyrrha sneezed whilst curled up on her bed. Nora gave her a look.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just a bit cold I guess." The redhead gave a smile that didn't reach her eyes before turning back to the window with a forlong look.

Lost in her own little world, Ruby wanted to cry. It's such a beautiful day and she's stuck bumbling around campus!

It's not fair! How is this f-

Scratch that, she really is crying now. Slamming into something grey and on the solid side, Ruby's tailbone reacquainted itself with the concrete walkway.

"Owie!" Ruby glared at the offending object with a baleful look only to realize it wasn't a _thing_ , but a person. Specifically the mute girl that was a quarter of team ASHE, Synca.

Yang two-point-O tilted her head cutely, as if asking what Ruby was doing on the ground.

"..." Ruby didn't have the heart to be mean to such a cute expression so instead of blurting out pained demands, she merely gave the quizzical girl a pained smile and whispered, "I'm Ok. But please help me up."

So Synca compiled…in the furthest stretch of the word. With a playful smile, Synca picked up the smaller girl -for, even with Synca's shorter stature, Ruby was still a mite bit short than the half wooden huntress.

Ruby squeaked from the unexpected action, reminded of the near identical situation she was in yesterday -being carry that is. But the red leader held her silence as Synca brought her closer to her team, all crowded around a scroll that Hono was furiously tapping at.

"Tell them that the meetings are going well, but we'll have to remain at Beacon academy for the meanwhile." Ashe smiled triumphantly, "But the food's great, so no loss here. Oh, nevermind that last part, please don't write that down."

"Oh! Tell them we have a dance tomorrow!" Elm put a finger to her lips, "I'm gonna have to find a dress. Hono-"

"I am not going dress shopping with you." The teen bluntly rejected, "The only one of you that I would ever go dress shopping again is Synca."

And cue Synca waving at her friends. Ruby was just about to mention the uselessness of someone waving to people's backs before Elm turned to smile at Synca.

"Oh, welcome back. I see you have brought a friend along. Would you like some snacks? I'm afraid I packed too much for lunch today."

Ruby looked thoughtfully at Elm for a second before asking, "Do you have cookies?"

...

"...so then Yang just went all 'You touched my hair!' and woosh! And boom! And then there was a crater…." It was surprising to both Ruby and team ASHE how quickly the young leader integrated herself into the day to day happenstance of the other team. Currently she was animatedly demonstrating her sound effects all the whilst regaling her four new acquaintances -or were they friends now?- about Yang's rather volatile nature.

To Ruby, each member of team ASHE felt...off. A bit uncanny to be sure. Like something very tiny but very important was missing or changed or replaced in such a way you don't consciously realize it but feel vividly.

Hono felt the worst by far, his mere presence at times made her flinch. If not that, occasionally it felt as if a predator was observing her, considering the worth of the hunt.

...To be honest, Ruby felt bad about thinking this way about the team. They were really nice people -they _are_ really nice people! So she'll just have to make a bigger effort in trying to get along.

"So…" Ruby began, eyes twinkling, "Your weapon...Lunatic is it?"

"Oh yes, dear ol' Luna." Hono shoved his hands into his pocket to grab at something before throwing the familiar black sludge on the ground. As dramatically as before, Lunatic the staff erupted from what was solid pavement, using the dark stains as a doorway.

It hovered a inch above ground before Hono grabbed it about a quarter below the head, parallel to the ground.

"You want to see it?"

"Hono…." Ashe sighed in disapproval.

"What? It's fine, it's fine. Here."

Hono dropped the staff into Ruby's open palms. When it fell noiselessly into her palm, Ruby gasped, "It's so light!"

She twisted the staff in her hands, aweing at the intricate details that dotted every surface of the weapon, from the Grimm masked head to the ebony wood etched with red. It was vicious but seemed to suit the friendly boy to a tee.

"How does it work? I don't see any dust cartridge in this…." Ruby mused.

"Ah, well, I'll be the first to admit I cheated. I made it from my semblance." Hono turned to pull back his staff, "Part of it allows me to bind and sever material, which I used to weld the pieces together. See here? I never used any metal for its construction. I had no need to."

"Oh! I see! Well, this is my baby!" Ruby pulled her weapon, sheathed as a large gun, from her waist with a flourish, the mechanical whirls combined with her own whirls. The solid metal tip of the oversized scythe pierced straight into the cement path.

"Ooh…" Elm and Synca clapped at the display, to which Ruby bowed.

"Thank you, thank you. I appreciate your kindness!" The girl grinned.

Hono snorted as Ashe whispered conspiratorially to him with a grin, "So she seems like the kind of adorkable people you'd attract."

"Talking about yourself again?"

"Me? Oh no, dearest Hono. I was not the one that gallantly ran her to class like a knight with his princess in arm." Ashe grinned, "What? The three of us not enough for you?"

"Says the one that arm-barred me yesterday!"

"It's also a sniper rifle! Capable of using any modern dust. But I do need to make the cartridges myself…."

"Is that difficult?"

"Not really, just a bit expensive. But I now have a discount for being both a regular customer _and_ a huntress! Well, in training but it still applies!" Ruby hugged her scythe, "Not to mention that the old man was really happy that I help save his store."

"Really? What happened?" Elm asked and Synca nodded.

"Oh! There were these guys stealing for the store I was in so I went like bam! The guy flew like thirty feet out the window! I was so cool!" Ruby squeaked as she told the tale of how she earned a place in Beacon academy…a year earlier than usual. It was truly a heroic tale, from the smartly dressed thief named Torchwick to Goodwitch to the helicopter getaway. It sounded like a blast, and Elm and Synca were both equally entranced.

"Ruby!" Someone called out. Team ASHE and Ruby turned towards the blond racing towards them, "Finally! I found you!" Yang tilted her head to regard at team ASHE and grinned. Something about her baby sister interacting with the darker team gave her the giggles.

Elm and Synca sat on the ground, eyes twinkling before Ruby. Ruby, the young and fearless leader was in the middle of her demonstration. With one feet on her knee and an arm raised into the skies, Ruby looked as if she was about to leap into action...or greet the floor with her face, as she just did.

"Oof."

Yang couldn't help it, "I'd make a tripping joke, but I think it'd just fall flat."

" _Yang_." Moaned her little sister, "Weren't you going to find Blake?"

"Not in the library. I was going to ask you if you had seen her. But, you know, all good plans just seem to fall apart." Ruby groaned again and just laid her face flat to the ground, done with Yang's stupid jokes.

"What have you done." Demanded Hono.

"Oh cheer up Hono, at least our agreement didn't _fall through_." Ashe grinned, her eyebrows waggling.

"Shut up, the lot of you or I swear…"

"You swear you'll what? Ground us?" Elm replied unabashedly.

"Oh. My. _Oum_."

"Hey Hono, I know you work fast, but we don't need another girl falling for you." Ashe again.

"SHE WAS DOING A ONE MAN PLAY TO ELM AND SYNCA!" Oops, it seems Hono's character just snapped.

"Seems more like 3p to me!" Oh Yang. The berserker blond hid her smile behind her hands; she had to! If she didn't it was very likely that her laugh would be audible all the way across campus. There was this odd, twisted, and quite frankly constipated look on Hono's face. His hands flexed and wiggled around his face as if to scratch himself completed with strangled screech.

Then Elm made a disgusted noise, turning a scandalized look towards the serenely smiling Synca. Yang and Ruby -who was still flat on her belly- gave Elm a quizzical look.

She waved them off, "Synca, there is a little something called class you know." The girl in question just beamed brightly, a shameless smile to be sure.

"Something that none of us have today. In both sense of the word." Hono moaned.

"Are you guys gonna be at the dance?" The first sensible thing to come from Yang today came as a relief for Hono.

"Yea. We figured that we might as well. First school function here and everything." The boy shrugged, "Should be fun."

And so, a shit eating grin wide enough to span all of Remnant grew on the blond's face before giving Ashe and Elm an wink. They too developed the much too devious and terrifying look. They turned to Hono and Ruby who shared a brief moment in solidarity as doom approached.

"You know what that means! _Shopping_!"

…

"Explain to me again why I'm doing this?"

"Because you're a guy."

"I protest this as misandry."

"Oh lighten up, you're in the company of five lovely young girls and the only thing you can do is complain?"

"Oh shut it Ashe. I didn't want to come shopping for clothes." In a brilliant moment of childishness, Hono turned away, pouting with his arms crossed as a mountain of bags and boxes loomed over him.

The grey haired girl merely giggled and poked his puffed cheeks, "Aw, don't be like that. I promise it'll be worth your time."

"Last time you said that we ended up halfway across the continent and Synca missing her left arm."

Ruby and Yang watched the couple argue and banter and tease from the store window. They couldn't help but to notice the happiness that shone from them. And, well, the inconspicuously conspicuous hand holding is pretty evident.

Soundlessly, Synca approached the staring pair and tapped Ruby's shoulders. Yellow and red turned to the ever smiling Synca, who twirled to demonstrate her forest green dress. Ruby squealed.

"Aw, you're so cute!" She latched onto Synca like an octopus.

Synca nodded and flipped her hair, smiling smugly at Yang.

"Look here half-pint, no one challenges me to a luscious hair flip contest." Yang replied teasingly, flipping her voluminous locks as well. It was a stalemate and so the two begrudgingly accepted their mutual ability to hair flip.

Then Synca realized what the sisters were staring at earlier. She pointed a slender wooden finger towards the sitting couple outside the clothe shop.

"Are they always like that?" A nod from Synca.

"Are they together?" Yang, asking the real questions here. Synca nodded again before pantomiming something odd. She quickly realized the futility of doing so to someone that doesn't understand her and decided to call her translator.

A few hand flips and gestures later, Elm approached with a mountain clothes as far the eye can see.

"Yes Synca dear? You need something?" A few frantic and puzzling gestures graced the eyes of Yang and Ruby, "Oh! Ok, I see."

Elm dumped the clothes to a safe corner before turning to the half of team RWBY that was present, Elm began to explain the rather complicated dynamics that held team ASHE together.

"Well...it's complicated." Brilliant Elm, we just established this. Then the serpentine faunus hesitated, "We...well, all four of us are together. I guess."

"You say what now." Ruby just blushed as her overactive imagination took on her semblance.

"You have to understand who Hono is to us, what he means to all of us." Elm sighed, taking a seat and invited the others to do the same. Synca naturally sat in her lap, "He...he is our master. Teacher I mean by that. Taught us all we knew of our powers."

A wry smile met the silent girls' probing eyes, "We are not like you. We have auras and we have semblance yes, but their development were...changed. I am not at liberty to tell you how, ask Hono or Ashe if you really want to know." Elm took a few seconds of silence to watch the customers stream around and about, using the peace to collect her words.

"Are there more of you?" Ruby did not understand her words, yet something within herself resonated with that bold proclamation. As is something unconscious was affirming that yes, the four were of a much different making.

A much darker making.

"Yes. There are seven of us. The other three are back protecting our village." Elm played with Synca's hair with her idle hands, "Should call them over actually. A day or two won't hurt."

"Wait, just give me a moment. How is Hono your teacher? Isn't Ashe your leader?" Yang frowned.

"She certainly is. Hono...well, he isn't the most motivated of people. Ashe is much better at rallying us into arms while Hono does have a particular peoples skill. She was his first."

Ruby's blush came back into full force, as red as her cape. In this sort of tense situation, Yang was caught off guard a second time by the words, "You say what now?"

"You already asked that you know." Elm replied mildly before explaining, "The first of his chosen. We three are those chosen to bear our mark. He is the first flame, and we the shadows that he casts."

"Aren't you taking his semblance a bit too seriously?"

"If you see us as we truly are, you would agree with my words."

"Hey! Are you guys done already? It's been three hours and I'm hungry!" Hono called from outside, "Bloody hell, _women_!"

"Oi! Hono! You just lost your character!" Elm retorted before laughing uproariously at the ironic sudden inversion of her character, "Damn, just come in! I want a man's opinion on my clothes!"

"Gah! Fine." Hono stepped past Ruby and Yang before freezing and turning back to loom over them. Yang met him halfway, a frown deep set upon her brows. He gave a short 'Ha' before wandering off to Elm, only to say one thing, "Come find me if you want to know more. Bring your team, Red."

...

She prowled unseen by the common masses, blending into plain sight regardless of the weapons she held. Remnants of her younger self, both the good and the bad, resurfaced after all those years.

Nevermind the White Fang, these four _students_ , if they can be called so are the true villains. And she can't deny the possibility of them being in with the White Fang as well; they were all faunus. There was no way for them to escape the scent that surrounds them.

One of them broke off, the snake, waving and laughing off her friend's concern only to dart into a secluded, dead end alley way with a sink towards her. She followed immediately, weaving through the pedestrians with practiced ease without any of them even knowing.

The snake faunus looked behind her shoulder, a vial hanging from her lips, what concoction drained with a few stubborn drops clinging to the sides, fizzing like a blue raspberry soft drink.

"Oh. It's you." She sounded genially surprised that she came, "I'm sorry, but I only felt a presence. I didn't realize it was you, Blake."

"...You are a danger." Blake hissed, her bow twitching.

"Oh don't give me that, we're all dangerous. It comes with being a huntress. Or hunter. Or a person."

"That's not what I mean."

"Of course." Elm smiled indulgently.

"...Are you with the White Fang?"

"The White Fang? Why would I be a part of that squabble?" Elm frowned lightly, "While I do appreciate them trying to make faunus' lives better, doing so at the expense of others is so very _wrong_." Then those sharp serpentine eyes narrowed in on Blake, something inside seemed burned with a evil red.

Frozen by the predatory gaze, Blake could only grit her teeth and tremble. She made a mistake.

"And what about you? Are you one of them still?"

Blake flinched and shook her head, the only thing she can move right now. Elm nodded and blinked once, releasing Blake from her mental prison...only to trap her in a physical one.

From the corner of her eyes, Blake saw a clone, a doppleganger of Elm. Same look, same gaze, same ponytail if white instead of black. But the longer she saw the same look, the more differences became obvious. It was...feral to say the least with sharp fangs on full display. Not to mention the deathly paleness that prevaded the clone.

"Right now, the only one that is a danger is you." Elm watched with detached bemusement as Blake struggled fruitlessly against her doppelganger, "You should not trouble your team like this. You will only find your death if you do not confide in your allies."

"I don't think someone holding a hostage can say anything about others being a danger!" Blake snarled ineffectively.

"I am sorry that it had to come to this." Elm bowed lowly, "And I apologize once more in advance."

"Wha-?!" Before Blake could make any more protests, something scalding flowed through those sharp fangs into her neck. She has to scream, but her voice won't work. Her sight warped, blurred, then became dark all together. It was unclear when she actually fell unconscious...but before she did, she heard Elm saying one last thing.

"Now, to find Ruby."

…

When she awoke once more, it was to the bottom of Yang's precariously balanced bed, held up with tough hardcover books, ingenuity, and not a small amount of blatant disregard for physics. That is not to mention Ruby's bed, that might as well be hanging by a thread.

A dull ache radiated from her neck, reminding her of the events that just transpired. She made to get up but was pushed down firmly by a rather irate golden blond.

Arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and hair billowing in some unseen wind, Yang appeared as if a irate war goddess, one that was equal parts disappointed and ashamed of what she had done.

"So…" Yang drawled, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Blake gave her partner the best drowned cat look she could, "What do you mean?"

Yang harrumphed in return, "Don't act stupid, it doesn't suit you. Nor does the stuck up, nose in the air spiel; that's Weiss's shtick." Then her expression changed, a pleading one if there ever was, "What did you do?"

"I did nothing!" Blake protested immediately, "Why don't you go ask Elm what she did?"

"I did. And she told me." Blake seemed to shrink down upon herself at the disapproving look of her blond friend, "While I don't quite agree with what she did, I can certainly appreciate it. When was the last you even slept?"

"It doesn't matter. Torchwick and the White Fang are far more important."

"You have to slow down. You can't keep doing this! It's destroying you! It's hurting our team."

"I can't. I won't stop until Torchwick and the White Fang pay for what they had done. Have done."

"And I never told you to stop! We need you to slow down. We are a team aren't we? You have to talk to us. Tell us so we can actually help you." Yang sighed heavily, shoulders sagging as she took a seat on Blake's bed, thumbs twiddling, "You know…" Blake's ribbon twitched, "Ruby and I grew up in Patch, which is just some island off the coast of Vale. Our parents were huntsmen. Dad would teach at Signal and mom would take missions all around. Summer Rose, my mother, slayer of monsters and baker of cookies, an amazing woman that was far greater than her actual size. But…."

"...She didn't come back."

Yang nodded, "Ruby was really torn up. But I don't think she was old enough to realize what was actually happening. But dad...dad just kinda shriveled up. Only got better a few years ago really. And it didn't take me long to figure out why." The blond closed her eyes, and leaned backwards a bit, kicking her feet into the air, "I'm only Ruby's half-sister. Summer wasn't my mother in the strictest sense. My birth mother, dad's first lover left us right after I was born. And it turns out the three of them and my uncle Qrow were in a team together."

"Why did she leave you?"

A hoarse, mirthless laugh was Yang's reaction to the question, "Wouldn't I be damned to know. Why did she leave us? Why? Why? Why? I would ask anyone that would care to look at me. No one really had an answer though. But one day...I found something. A lead, or perhaps just hopeful thinking. So I waited until dad was gone, put Ruby in a wagon and set off, determined to pursue my goals." Yang's hair rustled and waved with each shake of her head, "If I only knew how stupid I was. It must have been hours since we left. I had cuts and bruises in places I didn't even knew existed, and Ruby was dead to the world. When I finally got there, I felt triumphant at first but then I realized what I just brought ourselves to; a den of beowolves. All I could see was their burning red eyes."

Blake twitched a little, "Red eyes…."

Yang continued with her tale, having not heard Blake's mutters, "So there I was, a stupid, idiotic kid too tired to even scream and a toddler dozing off to neverland, served up on a silver platter. But...as luck would have it, our uncle arrived just in time." Yang turned to Blake, unshed tears glistening, "We could have died that day. I should have for my stupidity."

Blake sat up, a hand on Yang's shoulder, "Yang. I...I hear what you are saying...and I'm sorry that had happened to you. But this is different." With each word, Blake's words became louder and all the more desperate, "I am not a child! And this is not just a search for answers! I can't just-"

"And I told you that I never never wanted you to stop!" Yang retorted, "To this day, I continue to look for the reason why my mother left us. But I will never let it control me. Never again. If we destroy ourselves in the process, then what good comes for that?"

"You don't understand! I'm the only one that can do-!"

"You're the one that don't understand! If Roman Torchwick walked through that door at this moment, what would you do?"

"I'd fight him!"

Taking advantage of their position, Yang grabbed Blake's arms and pinned them to the bed. Then, she sat on top of her teammate, using her weight and legs to pin Blake down. The irate female squirmed and hissed, not particularly eager to be trapped again.

"And you'd lose!" Yang mashed their foreheads together, and vibrantly shining red peered into gold as she tried to make the girl under her understand, "Look. You can't even beat me!"

Blake simply glared at the gloat. Slowly, the red faded from Yang's eyes. Her herculean grip weakened before drawing her friend into an equally devastating hug, "Please. I am not asking you to stop. You need rest. Not just for you, but for everyone that you care about."

Staring into those soulful purple eyes, Blake just about forgot what she was worried about for the last few days. Yang was right; she had friends, she had allies.

"Alright."

"Good to hear." Then Yang grinned, "Well, with that taken care off, you're coming to the dance tomorrow. And then, you'll have the absolute pleasure that is a dance with me."

Blake rolled her eyes, "Rather full of yourself, don't you think?"

"Well, of course! I'm certainly going turn heads tomorro-!"

"Y-Yang?!" That distinct squeak could only have one source; a particularly traumatized team leader named Ruby Rose.

"Hey! There are children around here! What do you two think you are doing?" Of course, and that was Weiss, with a hand covering Ruby's eyes rather ineffectual. The angry undertones, however, was quite understandable for once.

They must have looked quite a sight, tangled up in a bed with the sheets somewhere gone, and clothes and hair rustled and wild. Blake and Yang leaped away from each other with Blake trying her hardest to hide behind her books and Yang rediscovering the location of the blankets.

In short, she took a dive backwards.

"Gah!" Oh, how the mighty falls.

...

Well then! Hows about them apples? Some introspection on the part of Hono and Blake, and some modified dialogues to match the changing storyline. It will be a slow change, I do plan on using volume 3 as a major battlefield, so watch out for that. Beyond that, all I can say is to review and to keep coming back! :D


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